Editorial: Manatee school leader

Monday

Feb 25, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Manatee County's school district has a long tradition -- for better and for worse -- of selecting superintendents from within.

Unfortunately, the career of Tim McGonegal -- the last superintendent who ascended from within the ranks -- ended horribly last year. Despite his efforts to engage both educators and the community, a series of miscues -- including an inexplicable budgeting failure -- led to his resignation in September, before he could be fired.

The School Board voted Wednesday to hire a new superintendent from the outside -- way outside the community, state and Southeast. If contract negotiations come to fruition, Rick Mills -- the 58-year-old chief executive of Minneapolis Public Schools -- will lead the Manatee district.

Seldom in the modern history of Manatee's public schools has the district more desperately needed new leadership.

The administration has been dysfunctional and in dis year.

Although all school districts faced financial challenges during and after the recession, Manatee's problems have consistently been more severe and frequent than most in our region.

Relations between the administration and teachers union soured. Even the district's most ardent supporters lost confidence in the School Board and administration.

For decades, Manatee was known for its stable leadership, developed from within the ranks.

But, starting in 1994, the district hired superintendents with no experience in Manatee. The first outsider, Gene Denisar, had a tumultuous tenure that ended in 1999. Roger Dearing, who was hired away from Indian River County in 2003, made progress in Manatee. But Dearing's arrogance eventually wore thin, and he left for another job.

The School Board looked inward again and hired McGonegal, who had been the district's chief financial officer; the budgeting errors and insufficient academic achievement at low-income schools effectively forced the School Board to look for a replacement with no local connections.

In addition to leading the Minneapolis schools, Mills worked previously as an administrator for Chicago's public schools. He entered public education after serving 24 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.

Mills was the School Board's slight favorite, edging out Diana Greene, a former deputy superintendent in Florida's Marion County, who gained support for her expertise in curriculum and success in closing achievement gaps between students.

The troubling fact is that, despite deep pockets of success in many of Manatee's schools, the district needs high-quality, expert leadership in virtually every aspect of operations -- strategic planning, budgeting, consensus-building, curriculum development and academics.

Skill in politics will be necessary as well. An anti-government movement in Manatee has had disproportionate influence on the school district, questioning the value of public investments in education. Unfortunately, the budgeting mistakes and other errors reinforced the movement's arguments, undermining public support for schools.

Mills told Herald-Tribune reporter Katy Bergen that he has a "100-Day Transition Plan" ready for implementation upon his arrival.

It will take more than 100 days to rebuild community trust and demonstrate sustainable success. But if Mills is hired and can show progress in less than four months, the community will stand and salute.